All Motorcycles. Production Models Since 1923. BMW Motorcycles Were Not the First to Be Built
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All Motorcycles. Production models since 1923. BMW motorcycles were not the first to be built. Nor was – or is – their production plant the largest. Yet BMW motorcycles, more than any others, have come to epitomise progress on two wheels. They stand for the appeal, promise and challenge of motorcycling – and the sheer riding fun that comes with it. BMW Motorcycles Production Models 1923 – 2008 The Ultimate Driving Machine Contents. The first BMW vehicles – pre-war motorcycles. 6 A new beginning – post-war machines. 16 The 1200 Boxer Series. 48 Diversification with three and four-cylinder engines – the K Series. 56 Revival of the BMW single-cylinder tradition – the F Series. 70 The G Series. 78 Synthesis of motorcycle and automobile – the C1. 82 Units produced. 84 BMW Motorcycles since 1923. In 1923 BMW made the decisive move from the production of engines to the production of complete road vehicles. Designer Max Friz succeeded in combining existing com- ponents in a new way, introducing a novel and very well- balanced motorcycle concept. The horizontally-installed flat-twin power unit with cylinders efficiently cooled by the flow of air on the road, the directly attached gearbox forming one complete and easily accessible unit, and the reliable drive shaft extending to the rear wheel were all fitted together in an all-round double-loop tubular frame. Premiering at the Berlin Motor Show in September 1923, the technical features of the first BMW motorcycle were subsequently continuously developed. But even when Ernst Henne set up a number of world records culminating in a world record speed of 279.5 km/h (173.3 mph) in 1937 (a record that remained unchallenged for 14 years), and when Schorsch Meier showed his class and calibre on BMW’s victorious racing machines, the basic concept of the BMW “Boxer” remained unchanged. Superior engine refinement, efficient cooling and a low centre of gravity for safe handling are the main features which, in addition to the reliable mechanical components and the engines tuned for dependable long-term operation, Scale: 1:50 have for decades made BMW motorcycles the first choice for long-distance travelling. Production period: e.g. 1923 – 1926 Abbreviations: sv: side valves ohv: overhead valves ohc: overhead camshaft dohc: double overhead camshaft hc: high camshaft 4 5 The first BMW vehicles – pre-war motorcycles. 1923 – 1926 BMW’s very first motorcycle featured the horizontally- R 32 opposed four-stroke flat-twin engine delivered to other manufacturers. This engine was modified in order to be fitted in traverse arrangement into a double-loop tubular frame with the three-speed gearbox connected directly to the power unit. Instead of a wear-prone chain, the power unit incorporated a drive shaft with a grease-packed bevel gear final drive housing on the rear wheel. Featuring longitudinal fins, the cylinders were cast in one piece with the cylinder heads and had upright valves. The engine output claimed by BMW for this touring machine was very modest. R 32, 1923 – 26 494 cc (30.1 cu in) sv 6.25 kW (8.5 hp) 1925 – 1926 Incorporating the frame and running gear of the R 32 R 37 with leaf-spring front-wheel swinging arm, drum brake at the front and wedge-block brake at the rear, the R 37 featured a new sports engine with overhead valves in the encapsulated aluminium cylinder heads and steel cylinders. R 37, 1925 – 26 494 cc (30.1 cu in) ohv 12 kW (16 hp) 1925 – 1927 BMW’s first single-cylinder machine was conceived as R 39 a sports model with a shorter wheelbase, pressed-in cylinder liners in the upper half of the housing, the same cylinder head as the R 37 and, for the first time, an outer- shoe brake on the drive shaft flange. R 39, 1925 – 27 247 cc (15.1 cu in) ohv 5 kW (6.5 hp) 6 7 1926 – 1928 This machine had a new frame with straight front tubes R 42 and a curved saddle support, a more powerful engine with cross-fin upright-valve cylinders and removable aluminium cylinder covers, a new bevel gear final drive housing with oil lubrication and sidecar mounts, as well as an outer- shoe brake fitted on the drive shaft. R 42, 1926 – 28 494 cc (30.1 cu in) sv 9 kW (12 hp) 1927 – 1928 The ohv sports model also benefited from the modified R 47 running gear and suspension. It featured grey-cast iron cylinders and a two-slide carburettor replacing the compli- cated three-slide version. R 47, 1927 – 28 494 cc (30.1 cu in) ohv 13 kW (18 hp) 1928 – 1929 By enlarging the cylinders of the 500 cc class sv engine, R 52 BMW was able to offer a model in the 750 cc class. New R 62 components: reinforced gearbox, larger brake drum in the front wheel and spiral-tooth bevel gears on the final drive. R 52, 1928 – 29 R 62, 1928 – 29 487 cc (29.7 cu in) sv 745 cc (45.5 cu in) sv 9 kW (12 hp) 13 kW (18 hp) 1928 – 1930 The next step was to fit the half-litre model with the engine R 57 of the R 47. With the larger cylinder bore and shorter stroke, R 63 this engine was also available in the 750 cc class and could be given extra power for successful racing. R 57, 1928 – 30 R 63, 1928 – 29 494 cc (30.1 cu in) ohv 735 cc (44.9 cu in) ohv 13 kW (8 hp) 18 kW (24 hp) 8 9 1929 – 1934 Pressed steel profile tubes on the frame and wheel forks R 11 then replaced the conventional soldered tubes and bushings. Consistent development of the engines culminated in the 5th series in 1934 featuring a chain- driven camshaft and two carburettors. R 11, 1929 – 34 745 cc (45.5 cu in) sv 13/15 kW (18/20 hp) 1929 – 1934 The new suspension and running gear was also combined R 11 with an ohv sports engine fitted from the 3rd series in 1932 with two carburettors. In 1933 both engines were improved by the introduction of retainer ring-guided roller connecting rods and a reinforced final drive. R 16, 1929 – 34 735 cc (44.9 cu in) ohv 18/24 kW (25/33 hp) 1931 – 1936 This machine came with a new single-cylinder engine in R 2 the 200 cc class not requiring a driving licence. New fea- tures: lightweight pressed steel frame, drum brake on the rear wheel, all-enclosed cylinder head as of 1933, and an increase in engine power of 2 hp as of 1934. R 2, 1931 – 36 198 cc (12.1 cu in) ohv 4/6 kW (6/8 hp) 1932 – 1937 Designed for use by government authorities and in off- R 4 road events, these single-cylinder models had a larger R engine and reinforced R 2 suspension. The drive shaft was moved to the right, and in 1933 the first BMW four- speed gearbox was introduced. R 4, 1932 – 37 R 3, 1936 398 cc (24.3 cu in) ohv 305 cc (18.6 cu in) ohv 9/10 kW (12/14 hp) 8 kW (11 hp) 10 11 1935 – 1942 Launching the R 12, BMW introduced the first hydraulical- R 12 ly-dampened telescopic front wheel fork in motorcycle construction, offering a lot more riding comfort and better handling compared to the conventional leaf-spring swinging arm. The same side-valve engine as on the R 11 was fitted in the standard pressed steel frame, available either with one SUM or two Amal carburettors. New features on the Boxer models were the 4-speed gearbox and rear- wheel drum brake replacing the conventional drive shaft brake. R 12, 1935 – 42 745 cc (45.5 cu in) sv 13/15 kW (18/20 hp) 1935 – 1937 Apart from the touring machine, BMW still offered an R 17 exclusive sports model with the more powerful ohv engine. The R 17 was Germany’s most expensive motorcycle at the time, but also the fastest production model built in Germany. R 17, 1935 – 37 735 cc (44.9 cu in) ohv 24 kW (33 hp) 1937 – 1940 While the successor to the R 4 still featured the pressed R 35 steel frame, the front wheel was suspended on an unsparing telescopic fork. Most of these motorcycles were sold to public authorities for training or as courier machines. R 35, 1937 – 40 342 cc (20.9 cu in) ohv 10 kW (14 hp) 1936 – 1937 A completely new design by Rudolf Schleicher: engine R 5 with tunnel housing, two camshafts, foot-operated shift mechanism on the gearbox, tubular frame made of conical oval tubes without seams, adjustable shock absorption on the telescopic fork, footrests instead of footboards. R 5, 1936 – 37 494 cc (30.1 cu in) ohv 18 kW (24 hp) 12 13 1937 The R 5, BMW’s fast sports machine in the 500 cc class R 6 and the most modern motorcycle of its time, was soon supplemented by a sidecar machine with a brand new sv engine requiring just one central camshaft. R 6, 1937 597 cc (36.4 cu in) sv 13 kW (18 hp) 1938 – 1941 Two years after being launched, the new tubular frame was R 51 improved by the addition of straight-travel rear wheel sus- pension. BMW’s new top model, the R 66, featured an ohv sports engine derived from the power unit of the R 6. R 51, 1938 – 40 R 66, 1938 – 41 494 cc (30.1 cu in) ohv 597 cc (36.4 cu in) ohv 18 kW (24 hp) 22 kW (30 hp) The touring and sidecar models with side-valve 600 cc 1938 – 1941 class engine soon also became available with the new rear R 61 wheel suspension.